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That was the week that was

THE draft legal text presented by the EU this week was deliberately provocative.

No UK Prime Minister, let alone one propped up by the Democratic Unionist Party, could accept the creation of an economic border between the British mainland and Northern Ireland.

Alamy

No UK Prime Minister could accept the creation of an economic border between the British mainland and Northern Ireland

There is little doubt that, as Boris Johnson complains, the EU wants to use the Irish border issue to try to compel the whole of the UK to stay in the customs union; meaning Britain could not do free trade deals with other countries.

One of the reasons the EU thinks it can behave like this is that this country’s preparations for leaving without a deal have been so limited.

Right now, it simply doesn’t seem credible for the UK to claim that it is going to walk out of the talks if the EU doesn’t back down.

PA:Press Association

Right now, it simply doesn’t seem credible for the UK to claim that it is going to walk out of the talks if the EU doesn’t back down

Indeed, an earlier draft of Mrs May’s Brexit speech would have weakened the UK’s position still further by explicitly stating how damaging to UK industry trading on World Trade Organisation terms with the EU would be.

When you badly need a deal, the other side in the negotiations is always going to try to push you around.

If they think you can’t walk away, they’ll reason that you’ll swallow their terms in the end no matter how unpalatable they may be.

The great danger is that the EU will demand something, as it did this week, that a UK Government simply cannot accept.

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Last October, Michael Gove warned that if the UK didn’t prepare with 'sufficient energy' for a no-deal scenario then the UK would be 'left over a barrel' in the negotiations

Theresa May then ends up feeling she has no choice but to walk away and we end up with chaotic, disorderly Brexit which would be bad for Britain and harmful to Europe, too.

This danger has long been obvious. Last October, Boris Johnson and Michael Gove wrote to the Prime Minister saying that if the UK didn’t prepare with “sufficient energy” for a no-deal scenario then the UK would be “left over a barrel” in the negotiations.

This week has shown the wisdom of that warning. Weakness is provocative.

Javid's exposed a Singapore show

AS Cabinet discussed Theresa May’s Brexit speech on Thursday, Sajid Javid objected to a passage promising that the UK would not commit to a Singapore-style race to the bottom.

Javid, one of the most free- market members of the Government, pointed out that Singapore was actually a rather well-run economy.

Getty - Contributor

Singapore is almost a third richer than we are

Indeed given that, per head, Singapore is almost a third richer than we are, we should be looking to see what economic lessons we can learn from it, rather than slagging it off.

There is a danger in the Brexit debate, that this country tries so hard to prove that it is still going to be “European” after we leave that it ends up offending the rest of the world.

Homes crisis: Time for constructive thinking

THERESA MAY attempts to return to the domestic agenda on Monday with a big speech on housing.

Aside from Brexit, no issue is as important as this to the Tories’ long-term electoral prospects.

Alamy

Aside from Brexit, no issue is as important as this to the Tories’ long-term electoral prospects

If home ownership rates keep falling, the Tories won’t win elections. They are, after all, the party of the property-owning democracy.

Owning your home is one of the things that is key to whether people vote Tory or not.

I understand Mrs May will be unveiling “substantial, not revolutionary” changes to the national planning policy framework.

Those hoping to see reforms designed to allow building on the Green Belt where necessary will be disappointed.

There will be a standardised formula for local housing need, which means local authorities will not be able to massage down the number of new houses that are needed.

This will stop homes becoming ever more unaffordable.

These changes, though, won’t be the end of the matter.

I am told the Government is keen to look at far stricter time limits for planning permission, requiring developers to build quickly or lose permission.

Alamy

Developers may be required to build quickly or lose permission

This should stop the current practice of the big housebuilders keeping prices high by only drip-feeding properties on to the market.

These are all sensible steps. But ultimately the Tories are going to have to be prepared to go for revolutionary changes to the planning system: They won’t be able to reverse the decline in home ownership without that.

Their aim must be to ensure that enough homes are built where people want to live.